The present invention relates generally to the protection of railing systems, and more particularly to a child's safety barrier for railing systems designed with baluster-type support members that left unguarded, lure and threaten small children with entrapment, serious injury and even death should the child successfully penetrate all or part of the body through the unprotected, adjacent balusters.
It is well known that young children are highly attracted to stairs and the railing systems meant to protect them from danger. Particularly of interest to the child are the vertical members which support the hand rail and are typically anchored to a bottom rail or floor, otherwise known as balusters. Balusters are spaced laterally and by regulated construction codes are a specified distance apart. Enticed by the open spacing, small children will attempt passage through the balusters, often injuring parts of their body or falling to serious harm.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,852,194, by Langan, issued on August 1989, addresses the problem by offering a safety guard for railing systems, having as its basic element a panel of flexible nylon netting material with a heavy duty nylon binding around the periphery of the panel which is installed across the baluster openings and tied with nylon cording threaded through predetermined and regularly spaced openings to the top and bottom railings. In the event no bottom rail exists, the nylon cording must be tied around the base of the baluster, specifically the area in which the vertical baluster meets the horizontal plane of the flooring, or the cording is threaded through screw eyes and anchored to the floor.
This design however, displays the drawback that the material of flexible nylon netting, when installed in combination with the nylon cord ties, has the inherent ability to stretch from its original shape and slip out of place, resulting in an escape opening for a child. Nylon cording, when tied to the top and bottom railings, provides a degree of movement around the railing which further allows the netting device to become stretched out and easily manipulated, particularly by small children. Screw eyes provided with Langan's device must be mounted to the floor and pose a threat of injury should a child's extremities get caught or snagged while playing near the railing.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,852,194 as filed, clearly recognizes the drawbacks of a flexible netting by stating support for the installation of a sub-panel or plate of metal, wood or plastic to "keep the main panel from sliding or otherwise moving away from the end portion of the supporting structure, which would result in an escape hole or opening, thereby defeating the primary purpose of the barrier." (1) It would be obvious to one skilled in the art that such device was designed to be effective with the proper installation of the aforementioned sub-panel however, research shows the sub-panel is omitted from the manufacturing process today. FNT (1) Langan U.S. Pat. No. 4,852,194, Column 3, lines 3-14; Column 3, lines 50-53; Column 4, lines 30-40.
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,076,545 by Bodzin, issued December 1991, offers a child's banister guard of rigid panels of plexiglass. Each panel is adjustably juxtapositioned with an adjacent panel and secured horizontally across baluster openings by cording woven in and around each adjacent baluster through a periphery of punched holes at the top and bottom of each panel. This design however, displays the drawback that the edges are coarse, even sharp, as they are not finished with a form of binding and could injure a child's hands or feet while playing near the railing. Additionally, in terms of aesthetics, the guard, although marketed as clear in color, is actually a light blue tinted plexiglass. This feature detracts from the home's appeal because the device becomes unfavorably noticeable.